The NileView

In today’s time and age, business schools should “always expect the unexpected” and be ready to adapt in a constantly changing environment

On Friday, January 31, 2020, I traveled to Nashville to attend the annual AACSB Deans Conference on Connecting Visionary Mindsets. The theme was carefully selected to reflect a sample of the depth and breadth of the issues that participating deans from around the world address annually to continuously help improve their business schools’ offerings and consequently maximize their impact on society.

It was a long flight from Cairo with two stopovers in Munich and Chicago. In Chicago, I had over a 2-hour layover. So as not to disrupt my daily walking routine, I decided to spend the time going back and forth between O’hare’s different concourses, doing more than 10 kilometers. When I was done, as has been customary for me during my travels for many years, I stopped by Hudson News to buy a few things, including hand sanitizers––this had nothing to do with COVID-19––it was just a habit. Besides, at that time, it was not announced yet that COVID-19 was a pandemic, and in my mind, the virus was far away in China! I picked up my stuff but could not find any hand sanitizers. I asked the seller; his response was interesting. He asked me: “What do you do in life?” I responded, “I am a university professor.” I remember he had a big smile, and then he replied saying: “you are in the wrong business; you are definitely not making good money; you should start your own business and focus on all sorts of hygiene products, including hand sanitizers; you will make loads of money.” He paused for a second and then said: “by the way do not waste your time you will not find any hand sanitizers at the airport.” He was funny and looked confident in what he was saying. I thanked him and left, but then I thought, what was going on? What is he talking about? Is this related to that virus? Am I missing something? Ironically, just over five weeks later, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the spreading of coronavirus, a global pandemic, and the rest is history.

For that guy from Hudson News, he was right. From that moment on, it was all about hand sanitizers, masks, and all sorts of hygiene products––a mega business opportunity on a global scale. He had the instinct of an entrepreneur, that is for sure. As for business schools, it is now almost two and half years that they have been trying to navigate a volatile world marred with the continuous disruption that is constantly challenging their ability to adapt to the changing needs of society in an uncertain environment.  

It is worth noting that before 2020, the world was already facing significant business, social, economic, and political challenges––it all depended on where you were and how you saw things. However, the pandemic took the global society by storm, added more challenges, and took existing ones to the next level. When the pandemic hit, the focus of business and management education was already gaining momentum on several critical issues. They included increasing societal impact, introducing innovative programs, exploring creative pedagogies, investing in tech-enabling environments, developing global collaborative partnerships, and diversifying research endeavors.

Globally, in-class face-to-face education and lifelong learning were the main modes of delivery, coupled with an increasing number of universities and higher education institutions who cautiously ventured with some of their degree and non-degree offerings into the world of blended and online learning models. However, almost overnight, sometime in March 2020, whether they liked it or not, they were prepared and willing or forced and had no other choice; most, if not all, business schools around the world moved to an online environment. For almost eighteen months, the experience varied from one business school to the other depending on their technology and communication infrastructure readiness––whether on campus or in-country, faculty preparedness, staff response, and students’ and learners’ engagement. It was not easy, and some were more fortunate than others, given the existing resources––whether human, technological or financial. It was about flexibility, adaptability, and how quickly each institution reacted to change in the business model of delivering knowledge that has been more or less the same for centuries except for some minor deviations.

It was a learning experience for all constituents associated with business schools, and most of the learning happened on the go. Such experience varied individually and organizationally. There was no one size fits all. Business schools gradually adapted to the new digital platforms and channels faster than expected. The reason for that, I believe, is that the pandemic only caused the acceleration of digitalization, but it has already been there and gradually penetrated our lives for decades.

Therefore, business schools­­––just like other organizations across different sectors––have a strategic choice to make. Either not do much and be affected by the VUCA time we live in today with unprecedented volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, or opt to embark on a journey driven by maximizing their appetite for transformation, experimentation, creativity, flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration. It is a decision that business schools have to make to remain relevant and continue to create a sustainable and scalable impact with purpose.

With the various pandemic waves, their ups and downs, their associated emerging variants, and the global vaccination programs, which unfortunately varied universally in coverage and distribution based on a variety of reasons, including available resources, disrupted value chains, and diplomacy––in relative terms––the world in 2021 was in a better place. It was not over yet, but the brutal waves of the pandemic started to slow down, and the evolving mutations were thankfully milder than before.

Therefore, following a long time operating mainly through digital platforms such as Zoom or Teams, there was an overwhelming excitement across different higher education institutions––business schools included­­––to resume normal in-class face-to-face operations. The spirits were high. Faculty, staff, students and parents were looking forward to returning to campus life and bringing back one of the essential vibes in a learning environment, which is the social interaction between the different constituents of a business school in specific and a university community at large. Therefore, by Fall 2021, many business schools around the world were prepared––while preserving a variety of precautionary measures––to go back to campus; some gradually, others using a low-density mode of operation, and others in full power.

It is worth noting that the unprecedented challenges faced, the evolving repercussions of the disruption caused, and the regular changes in the level of expectations across the board were still there. However, the focus was on how to capitalize on society’s experience during the pandemic and look at things differently. In the context of business schools, it was essential to study the impact of digital transformation in terms of reach and access; the opportunities created for the future of learning; the parallels between the skill set and the capacities needed to navigate the dynamics of the new economy and those required for the future of work. It is equally important to address the growing and invaluable need to think inclusively and strike a proper and much-needed balance between the shareholder’s interest and societal engagement and impact––not just as a slogan but to be truly embedded in the academic triangle of teaching, research, and service and manifested in the curriculum, extracurricular activities as well as community development projects.

The resulting transformation could be positive and inspiring given the possibilities it can create for different sectors, including business and management education, and the openings availed to respond to the continuously emerging needs of students and lifelong learners. However, because we live in a constantly changing world that never seizes to surprise us–– sometimes even more than we wish for––we should have learned from the past lessons that we should be ready to “always expect the unexpected.”

Almost two and half years since announcing the pandemic outbreak, although we have hopefully seen the worst of it, COVID-19 is still there, and once again, we are seeing a surge in the number of cases. However, it is not just another wave of the pandemic that we are currently witnessing; the world is still suffering from its consequences, including disrupted global value chains that are not back in full steam, macroeconomic transformations, and climate change, to mention a few. In addition, the war between Russia and Ukraine is causing further disruption to the world with several economic and political developments such as increasing inflation, energy crisis, food security, and fueling the mode of uncertainty in Europe and beyond. The long-term implications and repercussions on trade, geopolitics, and international collaboration are still unclear. All these developments should be on the radar of what business and management education covers and what business schools teach future leaders and policymakers and address in their offerings to remain current, competitive, agile, and relevant.

Accordingly, and given such a dynamic and constantly transforming environment, the question is, what will happen next? What needs to be done? How to prepare and prepare for what if the speed of the change is increasing at such a rapid rate? How will the reconfigured students’ and learners’ centered experience look? And what would be the future role and engagement model of faculty? We now know we should be doing things differently, but how? What is the best future business model? How can business schools keep creating value and contribute to people and society? In business and management education, what would the future of work mean in terms of the in-demand capacities and skills such as critical thinking, a growth mindset, complex problem solving, and open-mindedness, whether in the private sector, government, or civil society? Such new work-related expectations will require new learning environments, so how can business schools adapt to that? As a critical constituent, how can business schools help shape a better society? Where do we go from here? What will the business school of the future look like?

Business schools should keep adapting to offer a learning experience to prepare future business leaders, policymakers, and innovative entrepreneurs effectively impact societal development and prosperity. Therefore, business and management education can not be offered based on “business as usual” and should pivot from conventional offerings and integrate essential issues often mentioned but rarely adequately addressed, such as sustainability, societal impact, governance, and the environment, into the curriculum and various extracurricular activities. In addition, business schools should not focus only on core business subjects but rather explore an interdisciplinary approach to their offerings by integrating topics and disciplines related to humanities, economics, political science, data science, and natural sciences, among others.

Given the continuous emergence of innovative technologies, the growing role of digital transformation should never be discounted with the constant development of new forms to help create and deliver knowledge. Accordingly, business schools should work on models that effectively balance in-person and virtual approaches to provide the optimal and rewarding hybrid learning experience. Recently, I have been in several discussions about a metaverse for business and management education coupled with the opportunities that could be created through digitalization and the associated possibilities in the space of personalizing and internationalizing the learning environment––offering a possible glimpse of how learning will be conducted in the not too distant future. Therefore, and in light of these consecutive and rapid developments, business schools in today’s time and age should reimagine their value proposition and business-operational models, which would probably lead to the evolution of a new learning ecosystem with implications on various accreditation processes and their related learning objectives as well as rankings criteria and matrices.

As we look into the future, for business schools to effectively contribute to society, the development of rich and cross-disciplinary graduates can significantly impact a more sustainable future and create a more prosperous, inclusive, diverse, and equitable society. Accordingly, the future of learning in the context of business schools will hopefully encompass a portfolio of unconventional offerings that blend degree programs, diplomas, certificates, micro-credentials, and lifelong learning programs and activities, allowing more flexibility in learning and accommodating a growing pool of learners with their different needs and requirements.

Business schools should continue to reconfigure their institutional culture using a purpose-driven approach that blends organizational and societal impact and transforms their direction to help future business leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs understand and do better for organizations and society. Today, business schools have an opportunity to play an invaluable role in preparing and nurturing the next generation of responsible, innovative, and entrepreneurial leaders that can further bring business and society together. On this note, business and society are inseparable; if no society exists, then there is no business. Therefore, society should be integrated and embedded in business schools’ curricula. I am reminded that the School of Business at the American University in Cairo started offering a course titled “Business and Society” in the early 1980s, demonstrating the school’s position over four decades ago on the importance of preparing its graduates and future leaders to understand better society. An introductory course I taught for several years during the 1990s, not just for business school students, but it was also a highly demanded course from different disciplines across campus.

For business schools to play a role in impacting society, they need to constantly work with other constituents, keep reimagining the future, and work tirelessly to be better prepared and positioned for the next challenge to lead the way and not just play the catch-up game. I firmly believe that the future is positive and bright if we––as business schools––practice what we preach, think strategically, break the organizational silos, be driven by innovation, creativity, and discovery, and be proactive and focus more on anticipating and projecting what the future holds with its associated needs as opposed to being reactive and fixated on what the current conditions are and try to deal with them.

About the author: Sherif Kamel is a Professor of Management and Dean of the School of Business at The American University in Cairo.

9 July 2022
Issue #23